Hi-Ho Wolverhampton!! A night in the Black Country

Traffic chaos, motorway tolls and a gap that needs minding.

Wolves 0 Arsenal 3

With Emerson off school for Easter, I decided to treat him to this midweek trip to Wolves. He cannot usually go to midweek games as he would never get up for school in the morning, so this was a rare opportunity and he was really looking forward to it.

We set off from Darlington at 3.30pm which meant we should have arrived in Wolverhampton by half past 6. But that was not taking into account an accident which had closed the M1 Southbound at Nottingham, which we did not find out about until we were approaching Leeds.

The closure was not until Junction 26 and we were turning off at Junction 28, but the traffic jams started just after Junction 29. That, however, was only the start of the problems. When we finally reached Junction 28, for the A38 , everyone had decided to turn off there as well so we crawled all the way to Derby.

By now our ETA had been put back to 7.16pm as we still had over 60 miles to go, and suddenly getting there in time for kick off was looking in doubt. Thankfully the traffic finally started to ease around the Burton area and we back on the road.

The next problem was the M6 Toll. Having not used it before, Emerson and I were trying to guess how much it would cost. He went for £1.50, although I'm not sure which decade he was thinking of. I thought it would be somewhere in the region of £3.00 so you can imagine our surprise when we saw a sign that said £5.50! Unbelievable! So, after paying over-the-top prices for fuel and road tax, we now had to pay another £5.50 to use a stretch of motorway.

Unsurprisingly it was empty. Having been struck on the old M6 around Birmingham many times in the past it was relief to have a clear run, especially as time was now against us, but five-pound-bloody-fifty??

Anyway, we finally arrived in Wolverhampton just after 7 o'clock and found a nice little estate to park the car, about a 10 minute walk from the ground. Having used the money I had set aside for parking on the toll, I now had little option other than to take my chances parking in a side street, but it seemed many Wolves fans were doing the same so I guessed it would safe.

I had not been to Molineux since the late 1990's and it has changed a little since then. The new stand, which is being build behind the goal at the North end of the stadium, will improve the overall look of a ground, which is decent enough by modern standards anyway.

We had to meet my mate Dan to collect the tickets outside the away entrance and Emerson was now getting very excited. He loves to get in the ground early to sample the atmosphere so we picked up the tickets and went straight in.

We were in the Steve Bull Stand, lower tier, situated opposite the Main Stand, facing the tunnel. Our seats were in the back row but virtually right on the halfway line which led to a great view.

View for our seats

It was 7.40pm now and the teams were about to come out. Emerson likes to play a score prediction game around this time and asked me what I thought the score would be.

''4-2,'' I replied, trying to remain positive.

''Well I'm going for 4-1,'' he said confidently. ''Wolves are bottom so we should thrash them.''

Oh the naivety of youth...does he not remember QPR?

Emerson had heard about the Sylvan Ebanks-Blake song the Wolves fan sing when he scores, so he was hoping the 1 would be from him. However, he was disappointed to hear the Wolves striker would only be on the bench.

The match kicked off and was basically all over inside ten minutes. Theo was brought down in the area by 5pur2 loanee Bassong, who was shown a red card, and Robin cheekily chipped home the penalty to equal a Premier League record of scoring against 17 different sides in one season. It would of been 18 too had he his goalbound header against City on Sunday not been cleared by Vermaelen.

Less than a minute later it was 2-0. Theo played a 1-2 with Robin before slotting home his 11th goal of the season. Yes, that's 11 goals he has scored this season, on top of the 13 he got last season. And to think many people say he has no end product...

Emerson was overjoyed as he had already seen his two favourite players score and we hadn't played more than 12 minutes. This, he said, could end up 10-0!

Emerson celebrating going 2-0 up

But we started to feel a bit sorry for them after that and took our foot off the gas, deciding, instead, to just keep the ball. The crowd behind the goal began booing Theo for his part in the sending off and it did seem to affect his game. After looking so dangerous in the early exchanges, he now appeared a little tentative and began making mistakes. Shame.

Despite that the Wolves fans did at least show some humour.

''How shit must you be, you've only scored 2,'' they sang.

I guess when you are in their situation you have to laugh.

Half time saw a penalty shoot-out between kids representing both clubs. Of course Emerson wanted the Arsenal kids to win but it was fixed so Wolves won 6-5. They even allowed a penalty to stand that had clearly been saved by the Wolves mascot who was in goal, but hey, even Emerson did not begrudge them a rare victory.

I was hoping we would really go for it in the second half and boost our goal difference, but we still appeared to be stuck in second gear. However, we could still have scored five or six as Ramsey missed two sitters, while Robin somehow fired wide from close range after good work from Ramsey down the right. Emerson could not believe he had missed.

''Perhaps he just did not want to score,'' he said.

The legend that is Theo Walcott in action

But we did get a third twenty minutes from time, and it was good to see Yossi get it with an instant shot on the turn from 18 yards. The Israeli had another great game and I would love to see him sign on a permanent basis in the summer. It also gave Emerson the chance to sing the Yossi Benayoun song, which is one of his favourites, and more than made up for the non-appearance of Ebanks-Blake.

Fair play to Wolves, they did not let their heads go down and Chesney was forced into two outstanding stops to deny Doyle and Fletcher, but this was as comfortable a victory as we have had all season.

With about five minute to go the travelling Gooners started singing 'Tottenham, Tottenham mind the gap' and Emerson loved it. He started jumping up and down, waving his arms about singing it and didn't stop until we had got back to the car. He had found a new favourite song and wanted everyone to know about it.

Another away win

I would like to take this opportunity to give praise to a player I have been critical of many times in the past. Although not put under an enormous amount of pressure, Johan Djourou had a very tidy game. He won most things in the air and had a calmness about him all night. Perhaps I was too quick to criticise him in the past and I am prepared to hold my hands up and say I may have got it wrong. He has been playing out of position at right back, or alongside the error-strewn Squillaci, so I think it is was unfair to criticise him. Yes, this was only one game against ten men for 80 minutes, but he looked solid and assured, so well done to him.

Another who has frustrated is Aaron Ramsey. He had another one of those games where he looks like he has bags of ability but seems unable to utilise it. He hangs on to the ball too long, runs around in circles a lot, and when presented with an opportunity to score, he fails to convert. At times he plays as the most forward of the midfielders but does not seem suited to that role at all. Rosicky, who has been playing there recently, does it so much better, as does Jack when he's fit.

On a brighter note, has there been a better central midfield partnership than Song and Arteta this season? The Spaniard has been the buy of the season and has brought another dimension to Song's game. The two were outstanding again here and makes the future look very bright indeed.

Emerson showing his appreciation for a job well done.

Anyway, after a stop off at Mcdonalds to allow the traffic time to clear, we set off on what would be another journey from hell. I decided I did not want to pay another £5.50 on the toll so we went up the old M6, only be told we could not enter the M62 as it was closed. Great! So we had to go the long way around, via the M54, before the long trek through the roadworks over the Pennines.

The journey was brightened up by a good old sing-song, with Emerson giving his rendiditon of the 'Mind the Gap' song about 50 times, before we switched on the CD and sang along to 'Crazy, Crazy Nights' all the way up the A1(M). Emerson just loves that song and it pretty much summed up the events of our trip. A crazy night indeed.

So, despite the travel problems it was a great night all in all. The win lifts us five points clear of 5pur2 with five to play and brings St. Totteringham's Day ever closer. Plus, I got home in time to see the goals again on Sky Sports News. The red card did seem a little harsh but it was only Bassong so who cares? Mind the gap...

Sexism in football, the truth!

Sexism in football? Really? Well, according to Gabby Logan there is, although she seemed to produce very little actual evidence to back it up in her TV documentary this week.

It appears that there are plenty of woman making a very good living in football, many in the media and business sectors of the game, not something that screams 'sexism' to me.

Apparently some have been confronted with a few 'industrial' comments, so to speak. In other words, banter. One such woman even said she wanted to looked on as 'one of the lads,' yet took offence when the banter was directed at her. Strange.

But this so-called sexist industry has woman on the board of directors at clubs, women running media departments and women even running the line in the Premier League. Yes Gabby, sexism is rife alright.

She opened the programme with the line 'football is a man's world' and then went on to explain the lack of opportunities for women. For a man's world I would say women have been made very welcome indeed.

The fact is most working women do not want to be involved in football at the top level, therefore of course most of the top jobs go to men. If 99 out every 100 people who apply for these positions are male, which does appear to be the case, then of course there is a massive probability a man will get the job. That's not sexism love, it's just the law of averages.

But the bigger issue, for me, is that women like Karen Brady and Gabby Logan appear to be using the men's game to advance their own careers. There is, after all, a thriving women's game that needs powerful women to take it on. However, as there is not enough exposure or money to be made from it, these powerful women prefer, instead, to latch onto the men's game.

I covered a women's match for the press a while ago and there was not one woman in the press box. In fact, apart from the players and coaches, I did not see a single women at the game in any official capacity whatsoever. Yet cover any men's match and you will find women everywhere. Surely that balance is wrong? Men are having to do these jobs in the women's game because the women are far too interested in getting involved in the men's game. Why?

Sian Massey has done very well running the line in the Premier League, but she should be reffing in the women's game, a game that is crying out for some good women officials. But she has been brought into the men's game instead, almost as an anti-sexism statement.

Jackie Oakley is another example. She became the first female commentator on MOTD last year, presumably because no one could come up with a good reason for her not to do it. Unfortunately it merely showed that a woman's voice is not suited to commentating on the men's game, and it has not been repeated.

I have heard her commentate on women's matches, though, and her style is far more suited to that. In fact I would rather hear a woman commentating on those matches than Barry Davies, who seems to get the gig rather too often for my liking.

So, there you have it. There does not appear to be any evidence that sexism actually exists in football. Yes, comments are made to women in the game sometimes, and Brady was complaining about being called a 'slut' by fans. Surely that is no different to Mike Ashley being called a 'wanker' is it? Not nice, agreed, but hardly a major problem. And if you can't take the banter...

You see that is the thing that really irritates me. Women want to be part of this 'man's world' yet are the first to complain when we act like men! So now we have to change the way we have always behaved to fit in around them.

Surely if they want to be a part of it they should fit in with us, not the other way around? Take the banter, take the knocks like the rest of us. Be 'one of the lads.'

Funny how woman are quite happy to use their gender to get them what they want, yet are quick to pull out the sexism card when they feel it is used against them.

So Gabby, instead of looking for an issue that does not exist, just be thankful you have a job in the game you profess to love, even though you only got it in the first place thanks to your father and your good looks!! Now, who said sexist does not exist in football??

A valiant effort from the Daggers keeps their survival hopes alive

Port Vale 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 1
by Ricky Butler at Vale Park

The Daggers recent revival continued as a second half header from Mickey Spillane gave John Still's side a very important three points at Vale Park on Saturday.

But it was only a superb late penalty save from goalkeeper Chris Lewington to deny Vale's top scorer Marc Richards that ensured the East-Londoners left Staffordshire with the victory that lifts them up to 19th place in the table.

"Chris is a young goalkeeper who has made mistakes, but we are not over-critical,'' said Still.

''We are a club who work with our players and help them to improve. He is improving and he's done very well to save the penalty, which has made sure we are going home with another very important victory.

"This is a tough place to come and Vale are in a false position after they had points deducted for going into administration. I'm absolutely delighted with the result.

"I felt we set up right because Chris hasn't had a lot to do until the penalty. He saved a couple of long-range shots early on, but we looked comfortable after that."

In a first half of very few chances, Vale threatened through the dangerous Richards and Louis Dodds early on, but it was Still's men who should have been in front at the break.

Medy Elito, who struck two vital goals in the recent win over Macclesfield, beat Vale keeper Stuart Tomlinson from 20 yards but his 44th minute effort came back off the inside of the left hand post and rebounded to safety.

After weathering some early Vale pressure at the start of the second half, the Daggers began to look more dangerous and they grabbed a fully deserved 65th minute lead.

Damien McCrory whipped in an inviting free kick from the right and Spillane arrived to send a powerful header beyond Tomlinson from six yards, sending the 114 away fans behind the goal into ecstasy.

The former Brentford man arrived at the club before Christmas as a defender but it has been his goals from midfield in recent weeks that have proved crucial for the Daggers survival hopes.

Vale, who went into administration last month, fought hard to get back on level terms in the closing stages but they ran into a resolute Daggers back-line, superbly marshalled by skipper Mark Arber.

However, with just eight minutes left on the clock referee Lee Collins spotted a push by Daggers substitute Charlie Wassmer on Josh Pope inside the area and awarded the hosts a rather generous penalty.

The Daggers npower League Two future was now very much in  the balance but Lewington, who's late mistake cost his side two vital points at Barnet 10 days earlier, was the hero this time - diving to his left to keep out Richards' kick before then blocking the follow-up from Sean Rigg.

The danger was not over as Arber was forced to hack the ball clear in the ensuing scramble but the Daggers held on to extend their unbeaten run to four matches.

"I thought the win was deserved and if we keep putting in this level of performance then we should be fine,'' said Still.

"I'm very happy for everyone involved with the club because 10 points out of 12 is a great return at this stage of the season."

The Daggers now host fellow-strugglers Burton Albion on Good Friday looking for the win that could see them move eight points clear of the drop zone with just seven matches to play - an incredible turn around after looking doomed less than three weeks ago.

Attendance; 4,127(114 away)